STARKVILLE — The most electric atmosphere in Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum in months had nothing to do with a basketball game.
Instead, it was a welcoming party.
With MSU’s pep band playing at full throat and program dignitaries like Bailey Howell and former coach Richard Williams in attendance, a crowd of nearly 500 gathered on Tuesday afternoon. And as soon as the door on the north end of the coliseum’s playing surface opened, the man of the hour arrived as new MSU coach Ben Howland, the 20th coach in program history, was officially introduced.
“I am really humbled and overwhelmed by the crowd that is here today to be a part of this initial conference of mine,” said Howland, who arrives in Starkville after a two-year absence from the game following a 10-year tenure at UCLA. “To be a part of Mississippi State University that is steeped in tradition and is recognized as the flagship research institution in this state is a big deal. It is an incredible honor and blessing for me.”
With that, Howland’s hiring became official. And to officially indoctrinate himself even further into MSU culture, his first action at the podium was ringing a cowbell.
“I’ve long been an admirer of his teams and the way he coaches the game of basketball,” said MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin of Howland. “When the decision was made to take our basketball team in a new direction, there was little doubt in my mind that there was one target we had to speak to, and that was Ben Howland.”
Howland arrives in Starkville with plenty of fanfare, hype built up by a career that has included successful stops at three destinations, including Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and UCLA. He has 399 career wins and has reached the Final Four on three occasions. Additionally, each stop during his 19-year journey has included at least two 20-win seasons and he was named conference coach of the year at all three jobs. He was also the Associated Press National Coach of the Year in 2002.
On Tuesday, though, he stood at the podium wearing a “Hail State” pin on his lapel, a clear symbol of his new status as leader of the MSU program.
“I am very excited to be here,” said Howland. “There are so many reasons that I feel so good about this. I love the facilities. I love the new practice facility; I think that’s awesome. My last job was in Hollywood, a big city. I like being at an institution where there is a real priority towards academics and athletics. There are not a lot of distractions that cause the ability to lose sight of what is important in your life. For me, when we talk about mind, body and spirit, that’s going to be a big part in developing that in our players, and I think this is a great environment for that.”
How it went down
Stricklin, who spoke for nearly five minutes before ceding the floor to Howland, admitted on Saturday afternoon, minutes after the university officially parted ways with Ray, that he already had candidates in mind for the sudden coaching position.
That position didn’t remain open for long. Stricklin said he first spoke with Howland by phone on Saturday afternoon, and that turned into “Some really productive phone conversations on Sunday.”
On Monday, the MSU athletic director and Howland met in Atlanta and hammered out the final details. By Monday afternoon, the two had returned to Starkville in advance of Tuesday’s official press conference.
“I am really humbled to be working for Scott Stricklin,” said Howland. “I have known him for many years. Our relationship goes back to when I was at UCLA and he was at Kentucky. I am looking forward to learning from him. I was so impressed with his vision, his passion, how much he loves this university and this athletic program, and I look forward to building a basketball program for many years to come that we are all going to be very, very proud of as we are moving forward.”
According to Stricklin, the official terms of Howland’s contract were for four years at $2.05 million per year, a total of $8.20 million. Ray, who coached at MSU for three years, was making $1 million per season.
“I was optimistic,” said Stricklin of entering talks with Howland on Saturday, “but it’s surprising how fast it can go sometimes. And in this case probably because we weren’t talking to three or four people.”
The return to coaching
Howland had incredible success during his 10 years at UCLA, where he won 233 games and finished in the top 10 nationally five times. But that came to an end after the 2012-13 season, when Howland was fired despite putting up a 25-10 record with a Pac 12 championship.
Following that dismissal, Howland opted to stay out of coaching for two seasons. That changed with Stricklin’s phone call on Saturday.
“Stepping back these past two years has been really good,” said Howland. “It has been good to reevaluate and try to grow. I have spent an enormous amount of time going to practices and going to watch other college coaches that I respect. As a coach, you are always trying to pick up something. You are always trying to improve everything that you do.”
Howland’s exit from UCLA wasn’t planned. A 2012 Sports Illustrated article detailed problems within UCLA’s locker room that were attributed to former UCLA forward Reeves Nelson, accused of bullying his teammates. Ultimately, Howland and the university parted ways after 10 seasons. Asked about it Tuesday, Howland had no problem admitting a few missteps.
“Certainly, we made a few mistakes here and there,” said Howland. “I’m not worried about that. I would encourage recruits and AAU people to talk to my former players, it’s easy to do. I feel very good about that. When you talk about our last team, that team won the regular season Pac 12 Championship starting three freshmen. Then, the team I left behind went 27-9 and went to the Sweet Sixteen, so I feel very good about my tenure there and I’m very excited for those kids.
To Stricklin, the matter was a non-issue.
“There’s no history of NCAA trouble, that’s one thing,” said Stricklin. “And I talked to a lot of people out there close to the situation and I am very comfortable with how those conversations turned out.”
Staff coming together
By Tuesday afternoon, Howland had not introduced members of his coaching staff. But former LSU assistant coach Korey McCray, who was a recruiting ace for Howland at UCLA, was present at Tuesday’s press conference. Only one current MSU assistant, George Brooks, was in the building.
“I hope to formulate our staff quickly,” said Howland. “I plan to put together one of the best coaching staffs in the country.”
Of his new team, Howland made plenty of references to the way the Bulldogs will play under his watch. That means plenty of defensive effort and, as he picked up in his final years at UCLA, plenty of quick-tempo offense.
“We want to push the ball on makes and misses,” said Howland. “Most teams do not expect you to run after they scored. Most of the time kids are celebrating and meanwhile they are talking the ball up to the net trying to get a layup, a wide open three or a good shot depending on who is taking it. My last team at UCLA led the conference in scoring and was eighth in the country in transition opportunities and minutes in transition and that’s what we expect to do here at Mississippi State. Once we get into a half-court set, I expect our team to execute and number one take good shots and play unselfishly.”
Of his approach to the game, Howland emphasized effort and approach.
“Nobody is going to play harder than Mississippi State,” said Howland. “No one will be better prepared than our players and team as we get ready for the season. And it starts with our individual workouts, which will begin very soon here with our team. It starts everyday with the commitment, sacrifice and dictation it takes to be great and to be special.”
Ultimately, though, Howland’s first press conference wasn’t just about basketball. It was about being at MSU and returning the program to past glory.
“I vividly remember being at that Final Four in 1996 when Mississippi State was there,” said Howland. I’ve seen the support from afar and I know it can be done. It has been done here before and it can be done again. Make no mistake, that’s our goal, to get this program back to the Final Four.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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